Well, friends, we’ve finally made it to the ceremony! Our ceremony was so so special. Since I’m Catholic, it was important to me that we got married in a church, but since Shane isn’t Catholic we just had a wedding ceremony without a full mass, which ended up being the best of both worlds for everyone. I had so much adrenaline rushing through me leading up to the moment I saw Shane that the ceremony absolutely flew by for me!
Our ceremony took place at St. John Vianney Chapel on Balboa Island, which, if you’re not familiar with the area, is a tiny chapel with relaxed beach vibes. It was exactly what we wanted and, honestly, the only church I considered having our ceremony at. I had dreamed about getting married in this church for years. My mom actually called them to ask about their availability before Shane and I were even home from our engagement in Europe. While logistics for getting to and from the island can be hard due to a lack of parking, small streets, etc. I don’t have any regrets about the choice, and I haven’t heard any complaints from guests. It turned out exactly how I’d hoped it would, and even though it was tight, there was no better feeling than looking out at the chapel packed to the brim with the people we love.
Since Shane and I didn’t do a first look, there were also logistics that had to be planned to make sure we didn’t see each other. Again, since it’s just a small chapel, there are no rooms for the bridal party to wait in before the ceremony. The chapel has small patios on each side of it, though. So, Shane and his groomsmen were on one patio, and my bridesmaids and I were on the other side, and we had people on the lookout at each patio gate!
The adrenaline was definitely kicking in during the half hour or so leading up to the ceremony… I actually started breaking out in hives on my arms, which can happen to me occasionally when I’m stressed. Of course, when I saw the hives it only started to make me MORE anxious!!! I was just SO excited to see Shane!
Right before the ceremony, I needed to loosen up and destress, so we had a quick dance party to Marry You by Bruno Mars. If you know me, you know I love a good dance party, and this was exactly what I needed to shake off the nerves.
The boys had a different method of destressing!
For our procession, we had both sets of Shane’s grandparents, my grandmother escorted by one of our ushers, Shane’s parents, and then my mom, who was escorted by Shane’s grandpa Poppy, who circled around again after his initial walk down the aisle.
I remember the HUGE breaths I was taking right in this moment. It was pretty much all I could do to try and control my excitement.
The minute the doors opened to the church I was immediately overcome with emotion seeing all our loved ones, but the minute my eyes caught Shane I felt like I could finally breathe. Shane isn’t a big crier (I’ve only seen him cry one time other than this), and you could see all the emotion all over his face… a mix of crying, laughter, and so so much joy! It was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen.
The funny thing about the ceremony is that I literally forgot everyone was looking at us. I was so excited to be with and see Shane that I felt like we were in our own little world the entire time! When we were sitting off to the side during the readings, I kept giggling and whispering different things to him because I had so much I wanted to say to him. At the time, I thought no one noticed, but it turns out everyone noticed!
Since we didn’t have a full mass, the ceremony was just under an hour. We were also able to have our Deacon, Patrick, who we’ve developed a great relationship with, perform the ceremony. I’m really glad this ended up working out this way because it made our ceremony feel more personal and special. Deacon Patrick gave an amazing homily that had people laughing and crying, and smiling. It was just perfect.
As we were getting closer to the ceremony being over and getting to have our first kiss, I was practically jumping out of my skin with excitement! I think I was actually physically starting to jump up and down. I just couldn’t control it! It was one of the most magical moments of my life, and I hope I never forget that feeling.
I feel like you can really see the joy and love on both of our faces
This is one of my FAVORITE photos from the day. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but there is something about it I just adore. It kind of has a vintage feeling to it and I feel like it captures Shane and I so well. The lighting, the movement, the carefree energy, it’s just perfect.
When the ceremony was over, our family quickly gathered on the patio before we re-entered the church to do our formal portraits, but after the ceremony, everything felt like a breeze. This is another photo I love because I feel like you can see how relaxed and happy we both look now that the “hard part” is over.
As always, if you have any questions, you can send me a DM on Instagram or leave your questions in the comments below!
Next week, we’re going to do the ceremony. There are so many pictures to share I might have to break that down into two posts, but we’ll see!
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